November 9th, 2018

November 9, 2018

Where’s Waldo?

Halloween may be over, but the memories created will last a life time. Several classes took the time to have a class party which is an excellent way to build community and get to know each other in a different context. The community building also moved outside the classroom where students were able to participate in a scavenger hunt for all the different Waldos in the building, some of which were the adults in the building and some were smaller paper versions hidden and harder to find. The afternoon ended with a costume parade in the gym where everyone was able to show off their ensemble.

Wix-Brown Remembers

One of the benefits to being a K-7 school is that the community gets to be a part of, and witness to, the leadership and growth of our grade seven students. Our grade sevens took on the responsibility of organizing and running our Remembrance Day assembly, the most important school assembly of the year. I was extremely proud of their effort to put together an assembly that included the participation of so many Wix-Brown students while ensuring it had the solemnity and respect necessary for the occasion. Their hard work allowed us an opportunity to contemplate the sacrifices made by the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict, and peace.

Book Fair

Collaboration Afternoon

Collaboration afternoons are a great opportunity to come together as a staff and investigate ways to improve our practice and address our school goal. This past collaboration afternoon we had Gail Markin come out and speak to the staff about social emotional learning. Gail works in the district as a counsellor and as member of Instructional Services as a support in social emotional learning. She explained how important it is to incorporate social emotional learning into the classroom context and its impact on student and staff well-being and student academic success. Part of social emotional learning is understanding and exercising self-regulation. Moving forward the staff will be investigating self-regulation, and how to explicitly teach self-regulation strategies to our students.

Action Plan For Learning

Adrienne Gear continues to dominate our conversations on how to improve student learning. Staff members have had an opportunity to share what Adrienne Gear strategies they have tried, what went well, and how they might change it next time. In addition to working on specific strategies we also have been talking about our ‘Why’ behind our school goal. Our teachers strongest desire is for students to be calm, alert, and ready to learn, as well as shifting them from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. We are definitely on our way to supporting our students with this aspect of personal development.

Anxiety Workshop For Poppy Family Of Schools

Understanding and Healing Anxiety: Validating Your Brain

This workshop dives deep into the brain to explore the biology of the threat response, commonly known as anxiety. Learning to identify anxiety in it’s various presentations, what is going on within the brain during experiences that lead to healthy or unhealthy coping, and specific interventions designed to help individuals not only calm down, but lower their baseline level of anxiety. Though the topic is serious, it is presented in a relatable and humorous way, with relatable experiences and perspective.

Speaker: Ted Leavitt M.Sc., RCC, is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, working in private practice in Abbotsford BC and also as Program Manager for Langley Youth and Family Services. Ted specializes in impulse control problems including aggressive behavior, anxiety, ADHD, and addictive behavior, as well as attachment trauma. Ted is a very accomplished and sought-after public speaker, presenting on a variety of topics in a very informative and entertaining way. Speaking with groups as diverse as CEOs and grade four classrooms, training teachers and school staff, and educating parents on issues related to parenting and childhood mental health, Ted’s wide range of experience allows him to relate to any group that he meets with.

Date: Thursday, November 22, 2018

Time: 6:30 -8:30pm

Where: Peterson Road Elementary gym

Attendance is free but please register here for planning purposes by Wednesday, November 21st . Click the link.

Willowbrook Shopping

This exclusive ticketed shopping event will allow attendees to enjoy an elevated holiday shopping experience, help local charitable organizations (like Wix-Brown Elementary), and take advantage of exclusive savings at the same time! The evening will feature thousands of dollars in prizes and giveaways, gift with purchase offers, refreshments, live entertainment, amazing store discounts and offers, and more! Not only is this event a fun way to kick-start holiday shopping, but 100% of the ticket proceeds through our PAC will go directly to Wix-Brown! Tickets are $10 and now on sale through our PAC.

Christmas Is Just Around The Corner

You may have heard the sounds of traditional Christmas music in our halls. That’s because our students have started preparing for our annual Christmas concert. The Christmas concert will be on December 18th, with one performance at 1:30 PM and a second performance at 6:30 PM. Mark your calendars!

Just A Few Notes

There is nothing a parent likes to do more than document and photograph important events in their child’s life. Often these events involve a student working or performing as part of a group. In our day and age of social media I ask that if you post photos taken at school that they not include images of other students. Yes, as a school sometimes we post images of students, but this is after ensuring we have permission to do so.

It has come to the attention of the Joint Health and Safety Committee that there are students in the building after hours (aside from students in the daycare). It is important to note that we are not able to ensure a student’s safety after supervision, so if your child forgets their jacket, lunch kit, or homework please wait until the following day to retrieve it.

I would also like to thank families for their care in the parking lot. It can be a busy place, especially with the presence of 3 buses. The time you take to find an appropriate parking spot instead of parking in the drop off/pick up zone is greatly appreciated!

Up Coming Dates

November 12 – Not in session in lieu of Remembrance Day

November 20 – Collaboration Afternoon (75 minute early dismissal)

November 21 – Jersey/Sweatpants Day

November 23 – Hot lunch

November 26 – Report Card Prep (dismissal at 11:40)

November 30 – School field trip to see Cinderella at Pacific Academy

December 3 – Kindergarten sight and hearing check

December 18 – Christmas concert at 1:30 and 6:30 PM

December 21 – Last day before Christmas break and Ugly Sweater/P.J. Day